Making It Better
by anewspringwillcome
Summary: After going into remission with her long-term illness, Maylene feels like everything is spiraling out of control. The League has taken her gym away, and the icing on the cake: Cynthia wants her to take a summer vacation in order to "build her energy back up". Desperate to get her gym back, Maylene sets out for Hoenn for the summer, where more than a relaxing vacation awaits.
1. Imprison

_Author's Note:_

_This story, in a lot of ways, is a manifestation of a lot of not fun things that have been going on in my neck of the woods as of late. I was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness, and it succeeded in taking my life away from me for a little bit. It disconnected me from the world. I needed a saving grace. I found that in Maylene._

_At its core, this story has a lot of me. That said, Maylene is **not me**, and I don't write her as me. The Pokemon franchise gives us very little to go on in terms of character development, especially when it comes to our beloved gym leaders… Which is why writing them excites me endlessly._

_Really, this is the story of a girl as she struggles with being thrown a curve ball in life. And I hope it can help others dealing with or watching others deal with illness out a little bit._

_I hope you enjoy._

**This is something of a mash-up of canons (game-verse and manga-verse), but it is most heavily game-based. The manga will just sneak in and out of it (I love my DexHolder babus too much o3o). I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter One<em>

_Imprison_

Maylene thought that if the circumstances were different, she could be really enjoying herself right about now. If she were with someone else (someone who wasn't a bright-eyed stranger who currently wouldn't stop speaking), if fifty other _non_-relaxing things weren't on her mind, if she had been offered the vacation about five months earlier.

That was it - _timing_. Maylene thought she hated timing a lot. And right about now, she thought it hated her quite a bit, too.

Presently, Phoebe paused and looked at Maylene eagerly as if waiting for a response to a question the girl hadn't listened to.

"Sorry, what was that?" the girl shook her head absentmindedly.

Phoebe wasn't fazed. Maylene didn't think the girl was capable of it. Her easy smile never left her lips as she said, "I asked if you've ever seen the League building."

_'The prison, more like,'_ Maylene thought, but said, "Just the conference room."

This news excited her companion to all ends. "_Fantastic_. You're going to love it. We just had it redone, and _the kitchen_, Maylene, it's _fabulous_. Sidney says it's just a kitchen, but it is _not_ just a kitchen! Seriously, Maylene, when you _see_ this kitchen..!"

She went on like this until the ship docked, during which Maylene recounted everything that had gone wrong to lead to this final, miserable vacation.

She had gotten sick. Really sick. 'In and out of the hospital for weeks on end while friends who didn't understand (_couldn't_ understand) brought cards and flowers and teddy bears' sick.

It was ulcerative colitis - which meant nights without sleep and countless embarrassing explanations of really shitty symptoms.

_'No pun intended,'_ Maylene mused, and chuckled at herself.

And it _was_ shitty. Everything about it was just one, giant _shitfest_. She spent two months in her bedroom, and if she wasn't there she was in the hospital, tubes sticking out of her arm, meds being pumped into her because she couldn't keep pills down. She had told the doctors she was fine - she didn't need to be readmitted (for the fourth, fifth, sixth times…) - she just needed to move around.

They didn't buy it, of course. They kept her in bed, and the League decided to temporarily shut down her gym, and while it _killed_ Maylene, she couldn't really argue when she couldn't even stand up.

When she _did_ finally reach a point where standing up didn't make her feel like she was going to tip over, she had thrown on her training clothes and opened up the gym. And then she keeled over during the first battle of the day. Fell back and slammed her head right into the side of the stands.

It was over after that. Any hope of the League letting her reopen the gym again was gone. She begged anyway, pleaded with Cynthia until she was on the verge of tears - because her gym was _everything_ to her.

That was when Cynthia brought up the vacation.

"Take the summer. Get away. _Relax._ Hoenn is beautiful, and a friend of mine with the League is more than willing to have you stay with her." That was what the woman had said, and Maylene had shrugged it off immediately.

"I don't _need_ to get away," she insisted, shaking her head like she was trying to knock it off her shoulders. "I _need_ to train."

"It wasn't a suggestion, Maylene," Cynthia said, calm but loud enough that Maylene knew she couldn't argue.

She tried anyway.

"You can't really _make_ me go on a vacation," she pointed out.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow, and Maylene knew she had made a mistake to say anything at all.

"I want to see an effort, Maylene. You have to show me that you're trying to keep yourself healthy - not just jumping back into the ring every time you feel good. You could've seriously hurt yourself the other day. If I you don't let your body rest…" She shook platinum blonde locks, rested her chin tiredly on her hands. "Well, I'm inclined to start looking for a replacement."

Maylene understood, loud and clear.

So she had packed two suitcases of essentially the same outfit in different colors (yoga pants and tanks, lots of them) and reluctantly showed up at the dock in Canalave to meet Cynthia's friend, who turned out to be an Elite Four member whose ability to talk about absolutely nothing for hours gave Candice a run for her money.

Maylene regarded Phoebe much like Candice, actually - she didn't mind her. She certainly didn't _enjoy_ her company, but, well, everyone else was so busy treating Maylene like a charity case. Gardenia visited her weekly, but she looked at her like she was a deer out for the slaughter. Everyone did. Except for Candice. Candice talked and talked about anything and everything, not leaving any room for Maylene to get a word in edgewise, even if she wanted to. And she _didn't_ want to. So it worked.

Phoebe was the same - if a little bit more mature. She was probably five or six years older than Maylene, and the topics of "boys", "shoes", and "_boys_", didn't come up nearly as often as they did with Candice.

Maylene could tolerate her. And she would have to. She was stuck there all summer if she wanted her gym back. The League had already found a fill-in for the three months she would be gone, and nothing was stopping them from keeping them around permanently.

"Hey, check it out!" Phoebe clasped her hands together delightedly. "There's the mainland!" She launched up from her seat and padded over to the side of the ship. Maylene watched her lean over the railing, smiling. In the distance, she could just see Slateport City, in all its glory. Phoebe sighed. "There's just nothing like Hoenn. You're going to love it here, Maylene!"

Maylene tried to smile. Arceus, how she wanted to believe her.

* * *

><p>"And this is the lounge," Phoebe announced, flicking on the lights in a huge, lavishly furnished den room. A large flat screen was mounted to the wall, but the blue sectional looked like it had never been sat on. "No one really uses it much, 'cept for Wallace's niece when she comes to visit."<p>

Maylene leaned against her suitcase. Phoebe had dragged her through the entirety of the flat, selling the place to her like a real estate agent. When the woman spun to face her and smiled expectantly, Maylene half expected her to ask her to sign.

"What do you think?" Phoebe asked.

"What does she think?" a voice repeated. A fiery-haired man appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame lazily. "She thinks you should show her her room before she passes out."

Phoebe looked confused for a moment, then considered Maylene, who was propping herself up on her suitcase and trying to keep her eyes open. It dawned on her, maybe, why the fighter was there in the first place, and her lips formed a perfect o. "Arceus, what am I thinking? Sorry! Sidney, help me grab her stuff!"

Maylene let them. She had learned by now that when you're sick, everyone wants to do everything for you. She followed the duo as they carried her things down the hall, sighing.

The League building was big. Walking through the place _had_ exhausted her, but she still hated the guy - Sidney - a little bit for pointing it out. She was sick of people doing things for her. Sick of being a victim.

"This is it!" Phoebe threw the door open with a flourish of her arms. "All yours for the rest of the summer."

Maylene let out a breath. "It's… something." It was something. It was twice the size of Maylene's room back at the gym. The bed had piles of blankets on it. Maylene watched Sidney set her suitcases on it, but inched away a bit. She had spent enough time in beds lately.

Sidney, on the other hand, had no qualms. He flopped back onto the bed, crossed his arms behind him. "Pretty snazzy place to be locked up in for three months, eh?"

Phoebe joined him, flicking the man in the nose as she snuggled up to him. "Hey, she's not stuck here. She can do whatever she wants. Cynthia said curfew is two." Phoebe turned and winked at Maylene as she played with Sidney's tuft of hair. "But I'm not gonna be the one telling on ya'."

"Uh, thanks," Maylene muttered, even though she didn't really think it would be much of a problem. She wasn't planning on staying out all night. She stood there for a moment while two perfect strangers stretched out across an equally strange bed that was _hers_ now.

She shifted her weight to one foot uncomfortably, and then back to the other when it resulted in no reaction from the bed intruders.

Finally, Sidney said, "So it's Maylene, right?" The fighter perched on a yellow armchair and nodded. "Well, I'm Sidney - _no_, you can't call me Sid - and the freak here is Phoebe, though I'm sure you're already well acquainted with her if you came all the way from Sinnoh on the same ship. You talk her ears off, Phoebs?"

Phoebe had moved on from Sidney's hair, and was now turned the dial on his watch to change the time. Sidney watched her do it with bored eyes. "I only told her how much she's going to love Hoenn! This place is everything anybody could ever need to get back on their feet."

Sidney thought about that. "It's alright. Only so many beaches to see and Contest Halls to fall asleep at."

Phoebe swung a tanned leg over Sidney's body and rolled on top of him, gripping his collar in disbelief. It caught Maylene so entirely off guard that she visibly jumped. "_How can you say that_? Hoenn has everything!"

In response, Sidney grabbed the girl's arms and rolled so that the situation was reversed and he had her pinned down. "It's my prerogative, darlin'."

They were both holding in laughter, and Maylene watched from her armchair - red-faced and somewhat amazed - as the two Elites wrestled like children on her bed. She shook her head and chuckled a bit at the thought that these were two of the strongest Pokemon trainers in the region.

They were quite the pair - Phoebe was exotic-looking and dressed like she was on her way to a luau, while Sidney looked like a page out of a rock magazine. He wore red plaid slacks and a half-buttoned vest that went a little too well with his permanently smirking face.

Maylene decided she could handle their company at the same time that Phoebe got the upper hand on Sidney and sent him rolling off the bed and onto the floor. The woman gave a victory cry and shook her fists in the air in celebration. Sidney rubbed the back of his neck and cringed. "You're shameless."

"_You're_ a sore loser," Phoebe shot back.

"Yeah, well, my sore loser ass has gotta run," Sidney said, stretching as he stood up. "And your shameless ass should come with me. I don't trust you alone with the patient."

Maylene's stomach twisted at that. The patient. _Of course_.

"What're you running off to do, huh?" Phoebe leaped out of the bed. "Y'know you gotta be back here by five."

"I have plans," he said, all too mysteriously.

It wasn't so mysterious to Phoebe. "The same plans as last week?"

"New ones." Sidney leaned against the doorframe and looked down at Phoebe with sudden intensity. Maylene felt like an intruder in her own room.

"Got it," Phoebe said, and she was smiling, but it was too terse. Much too terse for Phoebe. "Just be back by five."

"'Course, _Mom_," Sidney sneered, and turned on his heel, leaving, and Phoebe whirled back around to face Maylene, smiling again.

Maylene blinked. What was _that_ about? That brief moment of tension was over as soon as it as it started; Maylene almost thought she had imagined it.

"Hey, so I'm gonna run down to Fran's and pick up dinner," Phoebe said. "You're pretty much free to do whatever, but on Thursdays, we all eat together."

Maylene didn't know what Fran's was or who "we all" entailed, but asking might launch Phoebe into hours of conversation again. She just nodded and watched her leave.

Alone in the room, it suddenly felt like she was back in the hospital. She busied herself with moving her clothes from her suitcases to the giant walk-in closet (no point in putting it off - she was here for the summer, no matter how unhappy she was about it) so she wouldn't feel totally helpless. Afterwards, she considered calling Gardenia. The girl had demanded Maylene check in with her when she arrived. But she didn't know what she would say.

She sat at the large bay window that overlooked the sea after that, then decided it reminded her too much of home. Days spent in Sunyshore, on the beach. Candice had dragged her down there the first few times, and Volkner complained at first ("Don't you have your own cities to terrorize?"), but eventually Candice didn't have to make her go, and Volkner started showing up to meet her for lunch. He still complained, but he was usually smiling while he did it.

That all felt like so long ago, now. When was the last time she and Volkner had spoken? Probably in a hospital, with Maylene looking like a train-wreck. She remembered enjoying his company, a lot. And now he and his city were miles away.

Most things felt miles away lately. Maylene couldn't help wondering if they would ever get any closer.

She pulled the curtains shut. The ocean was too much. She didn't want to think about places she couldn't be at and people she couldn't see.

* * *

><p>At five, when Phoebe knocked on her door and called out that it was time for dinner, Maylene tried to pretend she hadn't been waiting around.<p>

"-and I think someone ought to tell that boy that plans are made to be kept! I can't remember the last time he was on time for one of these dinners." A sixty-something year old man was saying while he slapped pieces of meat onto his plate as Maylene and Phoebe walked into the kitchen.

"Take it easy, Drake." Phoebe breezed past the man, plopping down into a chair. "S'only 4:59. He's still got a minute."

On cue, the door flew open and Sidney strode in. The man pulled a chair and sat down, immediately starting on filling his plate. Too smugly, he said, "Evening, all."

Phoebe snickered at Drake's sour expression. A small, slip of a middle-aged woman laughed lightly. "You should smile more often, dear. Frown lines are unbecoming."

"'Unbecoming' my ass." Drake took an aggressive bite at the piece of meat on his fork. "I've had frown lines since my sailing days."

"Language, Drake," a voice said from the door. Maylene turned to it and was greeted with the single most extravagantly dressed man she had ever seen.

She knew who Wallace was. The Champions of each region met regularly, so she had seen him around the League building multiple times. Each time he was clad in some brand new and spanking attire.

Today was no exception. The man wore long, flared pants and a scarily short cropped shirt. Over it, a cape draped over his shoulders and down to the floor. No one at the table was fazed by his appearance. Maylene added it to the list of things to get used to.

Wallace flicked his cape off in one motion, hung it on the rack by the door, and spun to face Maylene. "_Here she is._" He opened his arms ceremoniously. "Our guest for the summer." Maylene shifted uncomfortably. "Well, don't just stand around! Have a seat!"

Maylene obeyed, starting towards the empty seat next to Phoebe. "Not so fast!" Wallace spun her around and led her to the other empty seat at the head of the table. He dipped his head in a bow. "You're our guest. Guests sit at the place of honor."

Maylene didn't object - Wallace was already taking the seat next to Phoebe. "So," the man said. "How was everyone's day?"

Phoebe took over. She recounted the entirety of her day - excited gestures included - from when she met Maylene in Canalave, to when she went to pick up dinner. They all listened like they were accustomed to it.

"What about you, Sidney?" Wallace asked as he sawed at a piece of pidgey meat. "Don't think I didn't see you landing outside moments before five. What were you up to today?"

Sidney shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth. "We're interrogating now, huh? If you _must_ know, I was with a girl."

"_Oh?_" Wallace's lips curled into an intrigued smile. At his side, Maylene noticed Phoebe tense. "Anyone we know?"

"Maybe I was with Winona," Sidney suggested, smirking broadly as ever.

This made _Wallace_ tense for a split second, and Maylene decided that there was a lot going on in Hoenn to wrap her head around.

The middle-aged woman smiled softly. "For you to be with Winona, she'd have to know who you are first."

"_Ouch!_" Sidney stopped eating to clutch his heart in faux pain. "Glacia, you wound me.

"Enough about Sidney's mysterious love life," Glacia continued, and turned to Maylene. "Why don't we let our guest speak?"

Wallace cleared his throat. "A marvelous idea. Maylene, how are you liking Hoenn?"

"It's… really nice," she said, and it was probably the least convincing thing she had ever said. "We don't have, uh, Sphealcones in Sinnoh." And she chuckled a bit awkwardly. Everyone at the table stared at her.

Wallace saved her. He chuckled. "Sphealcones. They are one of our redeeming qualities."

Maylene thanked Arceus for Wallace at that moment, then thought it was weird to thank a god for someone she had just met, and took it back.

"One of a _million_ redeeming qualities!" Phoebe cried, and then she was raving about the beaches and a place called Lavaridge where they had hot springs, and "I'll take you there one day, Maylene, it's the most relaxing thing in the world!"

And the spotlight was off Maylene. She was glad. She welcomed the sidelines.

* * *

><p>When dinner was over, Maylene helped Glacia clear the table. The woman smiled at her and thanked her for her help.<p>

"I think this place is going to be good for you," the blonde said, and locked eyes with Maylene over the table.

Maylene nodded. "That's what everyone keeps saying."

"Phoebe's right about Hoenn being special, you know." Glacia stopped stacking plates. "Maybe it's not clear now, but I think if you step outside and let something find you, you might be surprised."

Maylene went back to her room after that. Phoebe had changed and taken off right after dinner. Maylene imagined she would be out late.

Alone again, the anxiety from before came back. She took her pills for the night and then thought again about calling Gardenia. As she stared at her cellphone, it made the decision for her; it started buzzing, flashing the aforementioned girl's name up at her. Maylene picked it up immediately.

"Hello?" she said, for formalities sake.

_"Hi, Maylene."_ Gardenia sounded a little relieved. _"Why didn't you call? I've been sitting here trying to convince myself you didn't fall of the side of the ship."_

Maylene sighed. That was Mother Hen Gardenia.

"It's been a long day."


	2. Work Up

_Author's Note:_

_If it counts as any excuse, the reason this chapter went up a bit later than I had planned is that my illness relapsed last week. I spent a few days in the hospital, which is where a good portion of this was written. I'm doing alright now. Not one hundred percent yet, but really I haven't ever reached that. Someday!_

_Regardless, please enjoy. _

**This chapter contains an openly homosexual character. If that's something that you aren't into, you might want to leave.**

**There will be notes at the end of this chapter.**

**I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Two<em>

_Rage_

"So are you, like, afraid of going outside, or something?" Phoebe asked. The woman had thrown open the bedroom door, paraded in, and promptly set her hands on her hips, looking at Maylene expectantly.

"What?" Maylene said. "Of course, not."

"Then why do you never leave your room?" Phoebe asked.

"I leave my room," Maylene protested.

"Going to the kitchen or the bathroom doesn't count." Phoebe shook her head. "You've been here a whole week, and you haven't even been outside!"

Maylene sighed. She wished she could argue, but Phoebe was right. It was a week into the summer, and she had managed to spend all of her time in the League building.

"Why do you even care?" Maylene asked.

"Because Cynthia is my friend, and she asked me to make sure you're taking care of yourself," Phoebe said. She marched over to the curtains and threw them open, letting sunlight stream in. Maylene cringed. "And maybe things are different in Sinnoh, but here, sitting in the dark all day isn't considered "taking care of yourself"."

Maylene huffed. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Normal nineteen year old girl things?" Phoebe suggested, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Go to parties! Get drunk! _Sleep with guys!"_

Maylene flushed involuntarily. "Is that the advice you give to all the underage girls your friends entrust you with?"

Phoebe ignored her. "Why don't you take your pokemon down to the beach?"

"I don't _have_ my pokemon." Maylene frowned. "I had to leave them in Sinnoh with a friend. Cynthia said they were "too tempting"."

_'Like she thinks I would go rogue and run around challenging people to taboo pokemon battles,'_ she added bitterly to herself.

"Oh," Phoebe said. "Harsh." The woman paused, thinking. "How about I let you borrow my xatu for a while?"

Maylene was surprised. "You're gonna break Cynthia's rules?"

Phoebe laughed. "Cynthia's not my mom, y'know. And besides, she can't expect you to get out if you don't have anyway to get around. Xatu'll fly ya' anywhere."

"Alright." Maylene shrugged.

"Does that mean you'll go outside?" Phoebe asked, ever eager.

"Sure, whatever," Maylene agreed.

Phoebe clapped her hands. "Perfect! Ooh, where are you gonna go?"

Maylene started towards the door, where she stepped into her sneakers with great reluctance. "I'll figure something out."

* * *

><p>That was how Maylene ended up walking through Mauville City, which had come up as the number one must-see city in Hoenn when she googled it. And she saw why. The place was huge - more a giant, indoor shopping center than a city.<p>

Flying there had been nice. Maylene had always enjoyed flying, especially since she had gotten sick. With so many doctors, nurses and eager to please friends running around, being alone was damn near impossible. And where's a better place to be alone than the sky?

Phoebe's xatu wasn't impressed with Maylene. When the fighter let the bird out of it's pokeball, the thing looked around excitedly, then stopped when it saw her. Phoebe explained that the pokemon had been a gift from a friend, and everything about said friend had rubbed off onto it. Maylene couldn't imagine Phoebe - of all people - having a cold friend. Regardless, xatu was entirely uninterested in being her wings.

Despite it's size, the city didn't overwhelm Maylene. It even reminded her of home a little bit. Home was Veilstone, and Veilstone was the largest city in the region. As she strolled through lanes of boutiques and restaurants, Maylene felt like she could almost pretend she was there.

And then she came to the stairs - two flights of them leading to the next level of the city - and felt her heart sink down to her sneakers. Even now that she was in remission, doing too much at a time left her exhausted. Stairs were the worst of it all. They left her winded and feeling like she needed to lie down.

There was no elevator to the next floor. The only way up was by the stairs. Maylene thought about trying to take them a couple at a time, then decided it was too much trouble altogether. She wandered through the city aimlessly instead, feeling down for the count again.

A part of her thought she should just suck it up and make the best of the summer. But then, a bigger part of her didn't _want_ to. That bigger part of her was still angry - angry that she was stuck in Hoenn, and that she was going to be sick for the rest of her life, and that any of this had even happened at all. None of it seemed fair, and she had already her share of unfair.

She decided to drown her sorrows in food. There was a diner on the edge of the city - just a little place called Jill's that was as low-key as Maylene. A bell rang when she pushed the door open, and she was immediately greeted with the smell of syrup and the all too cheery face of an elderly woman whose nametag read 'Phyllis.'

"Morning, sweetie!" Phyllis called from behind the counter. "You take a seat anywhere ya'd like!"

Maylene sat down at one of the old, leather bar stools at the counter and ordered nearly everything on the menu. Phyllis looked at her like she doubted a girl her size could eat that much food, but smiled and disappeared into the kitchen with the order anyway.

While she waited, Maylene watched the world news on the small overhead television mounted to the wall. A gyarados had caused a commotion at the Lake of Rage in Johto and had to be taken out by a group of trainers and their pokemon. Maylene thought that a story like that would have made her heart start beating about a million times quicker two months ago, when she could have gone and been in the thick of it. Now it just made her even angrier.

The girl was practically fuming by the time Phyllis returned with her pancakes. She devoured them in minutes (much to Phyllis' surprise) and then started on the eggs brought out next.

"Are you gonna eat all that?" a voice asked.

Maylene stopped what she was doing - fork paused in midair strike - fed up. She couldn't even eat breakfast without someone questioning her motives.

She turned her head to the culprit. "Yeah, I was planning on it."

The 'culprit' turned out to be an impressively dressed, silver-haired young man. His eyebrows rose in alarm at Maylene's brash response. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it." He held his hands up in surrender. "A coffee please," he said to Phyllis, then looked at Maylene. "Just… that's quite a lot of food for someone as small as you."

Maylene rolled her eyes almost involuntarily. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Okay." The man took a seat at the bar stool next to her. "How about my name?"

Her nose scrunched up into a stink face. "_Gross,_ really? Is that not the oldest one in the book?"

Laughing, the man said, "Sorry, bad pickup lines just come falling out of my mouth before I know what's happening." He paused, straightened his tie. "And uh, I'm afraid it's a bit of a falsely used bad pickup line."

"Oh, yeah?" Maylene snorted. "You weren't turned on by my ability to inhale ten pancakes at a time?"

"A very cute ability," he reassured her, scratching his head sheepishly. "To guys that are into girls."

"Wow," Maylene said, munching on egg. "I don't even know your name and you've already hit on me _and_ told me you were gay."

The man grinned. "Next level friendship, huh?"

"No one said anything about friendship," Maylene returned.

The man laughed, but stopped when he saw that she wasn't joking. He cleared his throat. "And, why not?"

Finally, Maylene slammed her fist-clenched fork down onto the counter and whipped around to face the man. "Because this is the _last_ place in the world I'd like to be! I'd rather be _fifty_ other places than here, in some diner in the middle of a region I don't know! And when I finally said, 'well, Maylene you're stuck here so you might as well make the best of it', and _tried to enjoy_ this damn region, the first place I went to I couldn't even go anywhere because _I CAN'T WALK UP STAIRS_!"

The man was giving her a look like she was a little bit crazy. The one Phyllis was giving her was even worse. Maylene shook her head - mostly at herself - and set it in her hands. "So excuse me if I don't really feel in the mood to make friends."

Maylene sighed into her hands. The man was still looking at her. Any second now he would get up and peel out of there. He might even return with police officers.

Instead, he surprised her and said, "It's Steven. My name, I mean. Steven Stone."

Maylene's eyebrows rose in vague surprise, and she sat up. "_The_ Steven Stone? Like, removed from Championship Steven Stone?"

He sighed. "Yeah, that's the one."

For a second, Maylene felt bad for yelling at him. She had heard a lot about Steven Stone over the years - who hadn't? He was the Champion of Hoenn for years, and then something had happened to make the League impeach him. Wallace had stepped up from his position as a gym leader, and Steven disappeared. The tabloids had covered it for weeks, trying to figure out why Steven had been given the heave-ho. And it _was_ confusing, when Maylene thought about it. Everyone loved Steven Stone, even in Sinnoh. Every little boy wanted to be him, and every woman wanted to marry him.

And really, he didn't ever do anything _wrong_. The League had it's fair share of scandals (the Great Skyla Debacle of '11 came to mind), but Steven knew how to keep his name out of the news - as much as a Champion could. He was definitely the most low-key of the champions, even more so than Cynthia. Then all of a sudden, he did something bad enough to be impeached for. It all seemed really fishy to Maylene, but then, she hadn't ever cared enough to ask around about it.

"This is usually when people run," Steven said, rubbing a beard Maylene didn't remember him having and looking an awful lot like the purrloin that ate the starly.

Maylene considered him, then stabbed another piece of egg with her fork. "I can't believe I didn't recognize the Steven Stone."

She decided to give him the time of day. After all, he hadn't run off when she transformed into Cynthia's garchomp and bit his head off.

"Yeah, that was a pleasant surprise," Steven admitted. "Most people turn the other way when they see me."

"It's 'cause you have that beard now, I think," Maylene decided, then added bitterly, "And besides, I'm not from around here."

"You seem pleased about that," the silver-haired man next to her mused.

Maylene graciously accepted a plate of bacon from Phyllis, who was now eying Steven warily.

"Don't try to make jokes about it." Maylene shook her head at him. "My hair, the fact that I'm eating what is probably enough to feed both of us and another fourth of the city, that's all game. But not my being here. I'm still getting over it, myself."

"Good," Steven said, and took a swig of his coffee. "That makes two of us."

There was a silence, in which the two remained silent. Maylene ate away at her food, and Steven finished his coffee and then ordered another.

Finally, Maylene said, after swallowing a gulp of milk, "Y'know, I never knew you were gay."

"No one did," Steven said. "Maybe they still don't." He reached over and took a piece of bacon from her plate. Maylene opened her mouth to protest, but Steven stopped her. "Hey, you try to get information out of me, I can take a piece of your bacon."

Maylene pouted. "Now, that's not fair. You don't have anything I can take from you when you try to get information out of me."

He quirked an eyebrow. "I haven't tried to get anything out of you yet."

"Oh, you will." She said nonchalantly, through bites of bacon. "It's inevitable."

Steven tossed a piece of bacon into his mouth. "Alright, so you aren't happy to be here."

"Right, that." Maylene nodded. "I'm stuck here for the summer because of a friend of ours."

"Ours?" Steven repeated.

"Right," Maylene said, then in her best announcer voice, "_Cynthia, of the Sinnoh Pokemon League_."

"Cynthia, huh?" Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, that does sound like her. But why you? Unless…"

Maylene continued on in the announcer voice, _"Maylene, Leader of Veilstone City Gym."_ Then, in her regular voice, "Indefinitely."

"Ah," Steven grinned. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere."

She fake gasped. "I can't _believe_ the one and only _Steven Stone_ recognized _me_, a little gym leader from Sinnoh!"

Steven waved her off. "Ha, ha. Now on with your story. Why'd Cynthia leave you for dead?"

"Nope," Maylene turned back to her food. "That's all you're getting out of me. Your turn."

He shook his head, but said anyway, "I'm looking for someone."

Maylene blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it." He said, and looked a little sad. He took another gulp of coffee. "And arceus, do I want to find them."

"I hope you do," Maylene said, and she meant it. She thought that maybe there was more to the Steven Stone story than the Sinnoh gossip magazines suggested.

Steven cleared his throat and his face went back to normal. He took a final swig of coffee and stood. "Well, Maylene. I don't really know you. I also don't know why you can't go up the stairs, and I have a feeling you wouldn't tell me even if I asked. But if you want to go upstairs, I'd be honored to get you there."

Maylene sipped her milk dubiously. "Yeah? Well, that's sweet, but how would you make that happen?"

Steven answered by picking her up from the chair and carrying her out of the diner bridal style. Maylene was incredulous and struggled for a good five minutes before finally giving up.

Steven was true to his word, and carried her up four flights of stairs to the rooftop park area of the city. There, he set her down and she looked at him like he was crazy.

"_What the hell?" _she asked, and he laughed.

He scratched the back of his head, smiling. "You know, Maylene, the past few years have been a little bit of a nightmare for me. I'm still trying to wake up. Actually, I'm still trying to tell myself none of this is real," the man admitted. "And well, fixing this is going to take a long time. There's a lot I have to do, starting with finding the person I'm looking for… which probably isn't going to happen anytime soon. But if I can carry girls up stairs and see them smile like you are in the mean time, I'll do it."

"That's crazy," Maylene said, very matter-of-fact. And then, like she meant it, "But I hope you find them. Really."

Steven smiled at her. "And I hope you get up the stairs on your own one of these days."

"I will," she said, and she meant that too. "Also, you pulled me out of that diner before I could pay my bill, so that lady Phyllis probably has the cops out looking for us right about now."

"Shit, okay. I'll take care of that." Steven grinned. "I guess that's my cue to get out of here, then." He looked at her, and it was too meaningful for Maylene. "Make the best of the summer, Maylene. Hoenn really is a beautiful place."

He squeezed her hand and then he was gone, disappearing back down the stairs. Maylene watched him go, feeling like she had been given a gift she didn't deserve. Steven had lost everything for _whatever_ reason, and here she was complaining about being in a stunning, foreign region for the summer.

She flew back to the League building with the same feeling still sitting in her stomach. Sidney and Phoebe were just getting back from work, and talking about a trainer that made it through all the way to battle Drake when Phoebe spotted Maylene.

"Hey!" She smiled. "Are you just getting back? Where'd you go?"

"Mauville City," Maylene told them.

Sidney snorted. "Leave it to you to go to the one indoor city in the region."

"I'm just glad she left." Phoebe was obviously pleased with herself.

And then Maylene said something that surprised all three of them:

"I am too."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<em>

_Steven Stone. God, he gives me a hard time._

_A few things about Steven:_

• _If it isn't obvious, this isn't the last you'll see of him. But it'll be a while. He's got stuff to do._

• _Yeah, he's gay. That's actually a huge part of his story._

• _The person he's looking for will probably surprise - and perhaps displease - everyone. Oh, well. I guess that's a risk we'll take, huh?_

_Also: Yes, the stairs issue is an actual one. I find elevators and I take them. _

_In other, more exciting news, would there be interest in hearing about the Great Skyla Debacle of '11? Cause I'm down to clown if you guys are._

_Thanks for reading. Have a good day, why don't you? Get up the stairs! God knows I haven't yet._


	3. Run Away

**_Author's Note:_**

_This one is shorter than usual, and late too. Sorry about that. Illness related things that I won't complain about here._

_I snuck DexHolders into this one. I know it probably seems like I'm opening too many stories up, but I promise they will all culminate eventually. Plus, the Dexholders are very much side characters (more for me than anyone else, to be honest, but they do some things for Maylene's character development as well)._

_ I want you all to know that I appreciate anyone who reads this so much. It really is me handing you a piece of my life and trusting you with it, and I hope it's enjoyable in some way for you._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three <em>

_Run Away_

If Maylene thought Phoebe was pleased with her for her getting out of the League building before, the fighter was beside herself the next day.

That morning, Phoebe appeared in her doorway again, imploring her to join her at a party that night. Phoebe frequently went out. And when Maylene thought about it, Sidney did as well. At this point, Maylene was starting to wonder who the hell was throwing parties every night of the week.

Nonetheless, Maylene politely turned Phoebe down. Parties weren't really her scene, especially when she didn't know anyone at them. Not to mention the fact that she still couldn't keep herself on her feet for more than two hours. Taking breaks every five minutes didn't really sound like a lot of fun.

Phoebe, of course, didn't take no for an answer.

"Come on, Maylene, it's going to be off the hook!" the woman whined. Maylene tried to think of the last time she had heard someone say "off the hook." Phoebe - who was in her early twenties - was consistently a more accurate teenager than her. "Look, I'm going to give you some time to think about it. I'm coming back in here at three to get your answer."

"But I already told you-"

Phoebe ignored her and breezed out of the room.

Maylene let out a huge breath. Looking at the time on her phone and seeing that it was noon, she decided it was probably a good idea to get out of the house for a few hours so Phoebe couldn't find her.

Upon stepping out of her bedroom, the pink-haired girl narrowly avoided slamming the door into Sidney, who was passing, having just left his room, as well. Maylene muttered an apology.

Sidney raised an eyebrow at her. "You're leaving two days in a row? Color me surprised. Not impressed. Just very surprised."

"Yeah, it's not really by choice," Maylene said. "If I don't get out of here, Phoebe's gonna drag me to a party tonight against my will."

The man chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, I'm hitting that one up. It's gonna be killer, for sure. You sure you wanna miss it? Flannery throws ragers."

Maylene gave him a look. "Do I give off the impression of someone who frequents "ragers?"

He smirked. "Hey, anyone can surprise ya'. That girl Roxanne comes off as a prude, but get her on the dance floor and she's a real babe. Maybe if I throw you in a club, you'll transform into Elvira." He mimed the "hands-on-face, eyes and mouth wide open" pose.

Maylene didn't know how to pin Sidney down. So far he hadn't done anything terrible, but then, he often said things like that that made her think he was capable of it. Plus, he and Phoebe had something very bizarre between them - years of friendship (and something else, maybe) that had made them tight. But there were moments - like the one Maylene witnessed on her first day there - of confusing tension that made her wonder if something had happened to hurt their dynamic.

Presently, Maylene started toward the door, saying, "So what's the guitar about?" She was referring to the sticker-covered guitar case in the man's right hand.

"I'm headed to Slateport," Sidney said. "There's a joint there called Cafe Diem - disgusting, right? It's probably the most "romantic comedy flick" coffee place in the world. But I owe the owner a favor. Gotta perform a set for the hipsters."

"Well, it sounds like you're set up for a fun day," Maylene said, a bit too much smugness in her tone.

"Careful with the sarcasm, Pink," he said. "I'm not beyond telling Phoebe where you're hiding."

"You don't even know where I'm hiding," the girl pointed out.

"I just assumed you were gonna tag-a-long with me," he admitted.

Maylene raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? You want me to witness this trainwreck?"

"Honey, it would be a _privilege_ to see me perform," Sidney drawled. Maylene had to hold in a laugh. He really thought he was a rockstar. "Not just anybody gets to. This coffee place is gonna get the exclusive show of its life."

* * *

><p>Maylene did tag-a-long. The coffee place was as pretentious as Sidney made it sound, with glasses-faced, scarf-wearing teenagers littering the seats. The barista behind the counter was a pleasant-faced young man, probably her age, whose lidded eyes and contented smile said he was right at home behind the counter. His smile grew when he saw Sidney - this must be the owner, Maylene figured.<p>

"You actually came." It wasn't the barista that said it - it was a different man, a curly-haired blonde sitting at the counter. He stirred at an intimidatingly black cup of coffee while leafing through an equally intimidatingly thick notebook.

"Of course, he did," the barista smiled. It was a trusting smile - one that would make you think he enjoyed your company a whole lot more than anyone else's. "Sidney doesn't go back on his word."

"I wouldn't go that far," the other man mumbled under his breath, not looking up from the notebook. Maylene thought that was sensible - she wouldn't go so far as to say that about Sidney either.

"You two haven't changed," Sidney said, like he was bored, and immediately went to the corner-stage to set up his guitar.

Maylene was left lingering at the counter, where it took an embarrassing amount of time for either man to notice her. The one with the notebook was so enveloped in whatever was in it that he either didn't see her, or didn't care enough to acknowledge her. The barista, on the other hand, only did when he finished on the mug he was scrubbing at and went for a second one.

"Oh," he said. "Hi." He wasn't phased, and reached for the next dirty mug.

"Your _job_, Dia," the man at the notebook said pointedly.

"Right." The barista, Dia, only smiled. "Would you like something?"

Maylene thought, and took a decided seat at the counter. "Nah, I'm just here to witness what I was promised would be the greatest entertainment of my life."

Dia looked confused, and the other man explained for him without glancing up from his notebook. "She came in with Sidney."

So he had noticed her. Maylene was giving him a wary look when he finally raised his head. Up close, he had a stressed face - light eyes that wore a focused look. His eyebrows went up when he looked at her. "Maylene."

The fighter felt her stomach turn. She didn't like being recognized, especially now that she wasn't even doing what she was being recognized for - battling. She had hoped she was obscure enough for the people of Hoenn to know nothing about her.

This man wasn't looking at her like a fan, though - it was more like he knew her personally. Racking her brain for who he was, Maylene said, "Do I know you?"

The man ran a hand that needed to be moving through his mess of hair. "No, sorry. You've met my girlfriend. She challenged you when we were younger."

"Oh." She sounded obviously relieved. "Sorry, I don't remember everyone. What's her name?"

He smiled unexpectedly fondly. "Platinum Berlitz."

To her surprise, Maylene _did_ remember her. She had been one of the strongest challengers Maylene remembered having, and so young, too. The fighter didn't put much weight on things like age, though. After all, people looked at her and saw a tiny, pink-haired girl and jumped to "helpless." Platinum was young and proving people wrong left and right, too, and Maylene liked that about her.

When she thought about it, Maylene realized their interaction hadn't ended there. She had run into the girl on her way to Snowpoint, where she had stubbornly refused a coat in order to train after seeing Maylene sleeveless and barefoot. Maylene thought it funny at the time, but she decided later that Platinum was determined, and it suited her. The two of them, along with Candice, had trained with Volkner later on when problems arose in the region. Maylene had nearly forgotten the events on Mount Coronet - and that Platinum and her friends were the ones that put an end to them. That was all years ago, now.

Presently, the pink-haired girl looked back and forth between the two men on either sides of the counter. Dia looked suddenly sheepish, and the blonde was sporting an odd look as well.

"I know you two." Maylene realized, something like awe in her voice. What were the odds that they would be here? "You were there on Mount Coronet that day."

"Heh." The blonde chuckled. "Yeah, that was us. Pearl, by the way. And he's Diamond."

"Why are you in Hoenn now?" She wondered aloud.

"A wedding, among other (he sharply tapped his notebook with his pen there) work-related things," Pearl said. "And Dia's been living here for a couple years."

"Running this place," Diamond lifted a mug happily.

"Until he can open his five-star restaurant," Pearl added, like it was something Diamond himself would never venture to suggest. Diamond only ducked his head. "So why are _you_ in Hoenn now?"

_There it was._ Pearl had narrowed his eyes, and Diamond cocked his head to the side at the question.

"Vacation," Maylene said, but it was too quick, and Pearl caught it.

"It's a great region to vacation in," Dia said pleasantly, oblivious.

Pearl gave her a long look, like he didn't really believe she was there on vacation, but turned back to his work.

"Yeah," the man agreed. "Lots to see in Hoenn."

Sidney's guitar floated in over the low din of the coffee shop. Maylene sighed and gave him her attention.

* * *

><p>To his credit, Sidney <em>was<em> good. Great, really. Maylene told him so when they were walking out of the cafe, and he had shrugged.

"I'd appreciate that more if you had heard _my_ songs," he admitted. "That was all indie garbage in there."

The sun had already started to set. Slateport was stunning in a lot of ways, the ocean it sat on being one of the greatest. Maylene felt herself gravitating toward it almost involuntarily.

"Seemed like you knew Diamond and Pearl," Sidney said as they strolled through the market, towards the beach.

"Not really." Maylene shrugged. "How do you know them?"

"Mutual friends," was all he said.

There he went with that mystery again. He was always just saying enough, never offering more than that.

"Speaking of," Maylene said. "What do you know about Steven Stone?"

Sidney stopped in his tracks. Maylene had surprised him with the question - she had surprised herself with it a little bit, too. But she had been wondering since she met the silver-haired man the day before just what had gone down between him and the League.

Sidney said, trying to be nonchalant, "A whole lot more than I ever wanted to."

"What did he do?" Maylene wasn't going to dance around the subject.

"We're not allowed to talk about it," he said.

"Why _not_?" The girl pressed on. "Does it have to do with him being gay? Because I thought the League was better than that-"

"How do you even _know_ that?" Sidney turned to face her suspiciously.

She said, "I met him in Mauville yesterday. I kind of bit his head off."

"What was he doing in Mauville?" Sidney asked.

"I don't know, he said he was looking for someone." This made Sidney's face change, and Maylene saw it. "Do you know anything about that?"

"_Fuck_, Maylene, this has nothing to do with you!" The man hissed at her. "It's none of your business what happens in the League!"

"They kind of made it my business when they locked me up in their building!" Maylene fought back.

"Trust me, none of us _asked_ for you to show up!" He said. "You're just a nosy fucking kid that doesn't know when to get her head out of other people's business! You think we want some mopey teenager around?"

"I'm a gym leader," Maylene said, like it was some kind of an argument to the rocker's claims, but her voice was shaking and she felt about five times smaller than normal.

"No, you're not," Sidney said, and he sounded _too_ disgusted, and it made Maylene stomach turn over. "Being a gym leader is more than throwing your pokemon into battle - it's about kicking fear in the fucking face and _dealing_ with shit when it comes your way. And you didn't do that. You ran away. You're not a gym leader."

It wasn't true. None of that was true. What had Sidney been told that would make him think that? Maylene hadn't run away, and she knew it, but her throat was too tight and she couldn't find the words to explain. So she didn't.

Instead, she did run away.

* * *

><p>As she flew back to the League building, Maylene felt <em>stupid<em>. She couldn't run from Sidney. They were living under the same roof. She'd see him again eventually.

She felt _stupid_ for how much he had scared her, too. Because it was being yelled at that scared her. Ever since she got sick, all anyone had ever done was baby her. No one had ever yelled at her, and when Sidney did, it scared her. And that made her feel about two years old.

She sighed. Always feeling sorry for herself.

By the time she landed at the League building, Maylene wasn't sure if she had cried or not. If any tears had been shed, they had dried from the wind. It was a good thing, too, because when she stepped inside, Phoebe was right there, waiting for her.

"There you are!" She was dressed for a night out. "I was looking for you! You coming, or what?"

Right. The party. In the heat of the argument with Sidney, she had forgotten. Phoebe looked at her expectantly.

Maylene wasn't sure if it was the events in the coffee shop, or Sidney's yelling at her, or just how completely _helpless_ she felt that made her say, "Yeah. I'm coming."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong>_

_Short, I know. Not entirely filler, since Diamond and Pearl will be back, plus the Sidney issue has to be resolved. But Maylene will try to put that off as long as possible, I'm sure. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Party time next chapter, which also means gym leader time. Get excited._

_As always, thanks much._


	4. Explosion

_**Author's Note: **_

_To make up for how late my updates have been. Enjoy._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Four - Explosion<em>

Maylene was crying.

Partly in disbelief with herself for caring so much, but mostly because of the mirror in front of her.

She shouldn't have been surprised that the dress didn't fit anymore. She had been losing weight with the illness for weeks, and while she was eating like herself again, she still just couldn't put it all back on. But, still - looking at herself in the floor mirror, arms glued to her sides to keep the dress from falling down - it hurt. How could she forget she was sick when she couldn't even wear her clothes anymore?

Phoebe, always great on timing, poked her head in the doorway without knocking. "Are you almost- hey, why are you crying?"

Maylene just shook her head, because she was _too tired_ and she didn't know how to explain. "It's just this stupid dress. It's too big."

It wasn't just this stupid dress. She was still thinking about what Sidney said. The dress was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Too big?" Phoebe asked. "And that's a _problem_?"

That only made Maylene cry harder. Of course, Phoebe didn't understand. No one ever did. They took one look at her and told her how great she looked, and "have you lost weight?", and, "wow, I wish I were as skinny as you!" Maylene just wanted to scream, "Do you want my disease, too? Because I promise you'd rather keep the extra pounds!"

"Whoa, calm down." Phoebe started into the room. "Don't you have anything else to wear?"

Maylene sat down on the edge of her bed, looking an awful lot like a child as she blinked through tears at Phoebe. "This is all I brought."

That was the truth. She didn't own much of anything in the ways of party outfits. The dress was something Maylene never would've picked out on her own - tight and strapless and sequined. Candice had made her buy it a long time ago, when she dragged her to some club or party that Maylene couldn't even remember. She hadn't worn it since, but had thrown it into her suitcase just in case. Maybe she never wore it, but it looked good on her - or it _used to_, when it _fit_.

Phoebe was looking at her perplexedly, like she didn't understand what the big deal was, and Maylene couldn't make her. She didn't even _want_ to. She didn't want anyone to understand how bad she felt, because if they could, they would start looking at her like a kicked puppy. She had had enough of that when she was hooked up to fifty different tubes in the hospital, getting visitors daily who spoke to her like she was five years old.

So she wiped at her eyes, made believe she was fine. "Sorry, it's stupid. I think I'm just going to stay home-"

"Wait right there!" Phoebe blurted, holding a finger up and then tearing out of the bedroom.

She returned moments later, a cheeky grin on her face. She was holding something behind her back. "I did not get this far for you to stay in because you don't have anything to wear." Phoebe pulled the thing from behind her back and held up a dress ceremoniously.

If the sequined dress wasn't Maylene's style, this one was like a foreign language. It was Phoebe's, and you could tell. She liked to show skin (even tonight, the stark colored dress she wore had a deep, plunging neck-line), and this dress was no exception - it had a slit right over the stomach. The color was Phoebe, too, an ocean blue that suited her tanned skin. It wasn't Maylene's type of dress.

But the way Phoebe was looking at her - so happily, like she actually _cared_ - and the fact that she was offering to let her wear something of hers, and that she was actually trying so hard to get Maylene to have a _good time_ for once made her take the dress out of her hands.

* * *

><p>"I don't know about this." Maylene tugged the hem of the dress lower over her legs.<p>

When she stepped out of her room in the dress, Phoebe had clasped her hands together and looked at her like a proud mother. That had motivated the teen enough to fly to Lavaridge, where the party was, but now that they were actually standing on the gym's porch, her stomach was turning.

Phoebe glanced up from her compact mirror to smile at her. "You didn't come all the way out here to go home. Have fun for once!"

Lavaridge was so quiet, peaceful. The gym was a dischord, a buzz of music that practically hummed over the town. Maylene rubbed her arms.

"But I don't even know anyone-"

The front door was thrown open and a fiery-haired girl threw herself at Phoebe. "I thought I heard someone out here! Get your skinny ass in here!" Phoebe let herself be dragged into the gym, and Maylene followed close behind. The red-head eyed her with great interest. "Who's your friend, Phoebs?"

"This is Maylene," Phoebe said. "One of the Sinnoh gym kids. She's staying at the League place for the summer."

"Cute!" The girl reached out and touched a lock of Maylene's hair. "And we get you all summer? Don't be surprised if I start making appearances at the League!" She winked. "I'm Flannery, by the way."

And then she disappeared further into the gym, a slinking red apparition in high heels. Maylene blinked back into reality. Looking around, she realized Phoebe had slipped away, too. She gulped. That left her to venture deeper into the place on her own.

Maylene had never met Flannery in person before, but she vaguely remembered when she became a gym leader a few years back, probably at Maylene's age. She inherited the position from her grandfather, but she obviously didn't shy away from it; her place was full of expensive-looking things and lavishly furnished rooms. Gym leader life paid well, you couldn't deny that.

A screen door opened up to a terrace where people were conversing, away from the din of the party. Maylene stepped out into the summer night's arms, welcoming the quiet. She could get along with this. Leaning over the railing, she could almost pretend she wasn't there.

If only everyone else would too.

"_Maylene?"_ The voice was as shocked as the person it addressed felt.

Maylene turned to see a familar purple-haired teen gaping at her - her own eyebrows went up in surprise as well. "Janine? What are you doing here?"

Janine enveloped Maylene in a hug before the fighter could protest - not that she would've. She was actually _glad_ to see Janine, and she could use a hug right about now.

"I could ask you the same thing," Janine said when they parted. "What are the odds of us both being in the region?"

Maylene liked Janine. She lived in a city in Kanto, where she had become a gym leader after her father left her the gym, but had family in Veilstone and frequented the city. Her first time in town she stopped by the gym for a battle and completely blew Maylene out of the water. Since then she visited anytime she was around. She was low maintenance and easy to get along with.

As Maylene expected to happen eventually, Janine's brow furrowed in concern. "I heard you were sick, Maylene. I meant to get out to Sinnoh, but the gym's been so busy, it being the end of the season, and all. This is the first time I've been able to get out, and that's only because of the wedding-"

Maylene put her hand on Janine's arm, stopping her. She was looking too guilty for the pink-haired girl's tastes. "Don't worry about it. I'm doing a lot better now."

That seemed to calm Janine down long enough for her to turn to a navy-headed boy who had been lingering awkwardly behind her the entire time. "Have you met Falkner?"

Maylene hadn't met Falkner, but that didn't mean she hadn't heard her share about him. He was a gym leader too, and had inherited his gym from his Dad just like Janine had. They met in some way or another, and had never left each other's sides since. The League had a lot of relationships like that, especially among the teenaged leaders. The media ate them up. Most of them ended horribly. Maylene was rooting for Janine and Falkner, anyway.

"No." Maylene smiled at the dark-haired boy and reached out to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you. Janine's told me a lot."

The couple went crimson in unison. Janine fell into a peel of nervous giggles, while Falkner rubbed the back of his neck in his embarassment. Maylene only smiled wider at the two of them.

"S-so you never told me, what brings you to Hoenn?" Janine was quick to change the subject.

"I'm on vacation." At that, both gym leaders before her raised their eyebrows in question.

Their confusion had grounds. None of the gym leaders were on vacation this time of year. The end of spring was the busiest part of the season, what with the tourist rush once summer came around. Trainers wanted to get in their final gym challenges before they left on family vacations. It didn't make sense for Maylene to be on vacation now (or _at all_, really - she was devoted to her job, and Janine knew that).

Janine and Falkner were obviously keyed into this fact, but to their credit, they didn't call her out on it. Instead, Maylene asked, "What about you two? You got away from your gyms long enough just to get to one of Flannery's parties?"

"Well, they _are_ legendary," Falkner pointed out with a grin.

"But no," Janine chimed in. "We're here all weekend, for a wedding."

Maylene thought someone else had said something similar to her recently, but just for fun, she asked, "Yours?"

This only served to make the duo flush again, an even brighter red, this time.

"Family friends," Janine assured her, waving her hands frantically.

"I'm just giving you a hard time." Maylene laughed. "I know your Dad would have a cow."

"That's an understatement," Falkner said, a severe look in his eyes.

Maylene grinned. "I'm guessing you've had the pleasure of meeting Koga?"

"He hates me," Falkner said plainly.

"He doesn't hate you!" Janine protested. "He's just _protective_."

Maylene snorted. "_That's_ another understatement. I'm surprised he even let you out tonight."

Falkner laughed at that. Janine only heaved a sigh. She couldn't argue, because Maylene wasn't really wrong. Koga was terrifying, even in old photos Janine showed her of his glory days - and that was before he had a daughter. With Janine, he was ten times worse. He kept an eagle's eye on her. And while it was endearing that he cared so much about his daughter, it drove Janine crazy.

Maylene thought she probably wouldn't be friends with Janine if Koga wasn't always holding her back. It had crossed her mind, on more than a couple occasions, that the purple-haired girl was probably a little too cool for her. She had a likeable quality about her - some way of speaking that made you feel important. People liked her, and if her Dad let her do more and meet more people, who knows if she would've stuck around for Maylene.

"He almost _didn't_ let me out tonight," Janine admitted. "I had to convince him Falkner was out with friends."

Maylene cringed. "Dude, you're twenty years old and still hiding your boyfriend."

"Tell me something I don't know." Janine sighed again, and Falkner wrapped an arm around her waist with a laugh.

"You're no better!" Maylene said laughingly, pointing a finger at Falkner. "Why don't you ever stand up to him?"

Falkner looked apalled at the idea. "That's easier said than done."

"Scared of the big bad wolf?" Maylene teased.

"More like the big bad _ninja_," Falkner said, eyes wide. "Seriously, I'm afraid if I even look at him the wrong way, he'll stick a fucking gang of ninjas on me!"

Falkner was serious, but Maylene hooted with laughter. When she caught her breath, she said, "Okay, maybe you're right. We'd better go back inside. There could be ninjas on the roof as we speak."

"Ha, ha." Falkner pouted, but started toward the door anyway.

Back inside, Janine and Falkner seemed to know where they were going more than Maylene did. They came to the back of the gym, where the pounding music was coming from.

"You're_ kidding_," Maylene shouted over the music.

She had found herself standing before a dance floor. Flannery's house might as well have been a club. Hi-tech-looking speaker systems blasted music that a sea of people pulsed along to under flashing lights.

"I know," Janine called back. "We all know where her gym money is going."

Maylene looked out over the dancing crowd, finding vaguely familar faces among it. She didn't know a lot about most of the gym leaders from other regions and she couldn't put names to most of the faces, something she noted with a kind of sad pang in her stomach. She was something of a recluse, wasn't she? How many of them would even recognize her as a gym leader?

"Do you want a drink?" Falkner asked Janine and Maylene over the sound.

Maylene looked again at the dancefloor. She spotted Roxanne, who Sidney had mentioned earlier that day, practically grinding against a muscled guy. It hurt her head, thinking again about the day's events, and she didn't want to think. She wanted to have fun for once - for the first time in months. The dancefloor was waiting for her, and she had a feeling she was never going to step on it without alcohol in her system.

"Maylene?" Falkner repeated. "A drink?"

She felt herself nodding. "Yeah."

* * *

><p>Maylene couldn't remember the last time she touched alcohol. The beer Falkner handed her was fizzy and she didn't much care for the taste of it, but it made her feel lighter, and she accepted a second from a stranger when she finished the first.<p>

Falkner and Janine had disappeared a long time ago. Maylene thought they told her where they were going, but it was foggy and she couldn't remember.

Had dancing always been so _fun?_ When was the last time she had danced? She felt like a little kid again when she was on the dancefloor. It felt good, moving as one with an ocean of people she might've known if she weren't so dizzy.

Another beer, and another song to go with it.

There was a guy dancing with her. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't think she cared.

It didn't cross her mind how tired she was. The alcohol made her forget how heavy her eyelids were. She hadn't had too much to drink. Well, she couldn't remember how many beers she had had, but she knew it wasn't too much.

And it wasn't the beer that was too much in the end. It was what she had forgotten: how sick she was. How exhausted her body was. She had been out all day and then thrown herself into the thick of things again by going to the party - and had she eaten lunch?- and her body couldn't handle it.

There was a lot of yelling and the sound of glass shattering when she hit the floor. She couldn't see anything, but she could guess. Her body _couldn't_ handle it, and it had stopped trying to.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

_I think we can only go up from here, right? I'm glad. Maylene's hit rock bottom, so I get to bring her back up. I think she deserves that, after all the shit I've put her through. From here on out, it's Operation: Get Maylene Happy. Look out for more Janine (I think she's fun), more special guests, and the rumored wedding..._

_I hope you enjoyed. All of my thanks for reading thus far._


	5. Celebrate

_**Author's Note:**_

_Do you hear wedding bells?_

_I've been teasing this wedding since chapter three, and here it is. But not before some much needed face-time with our elites!_

_I had so much fun with this one. Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy._

_From here on in I'll be trying my damn hardest to get updates to you all on Thursdays. Look out for new chapters then, starting two weeks from now. There won't be a chapter next week - I'm starting school again and it's going to be a busy week._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Five<em>

_Celebrate_

The inevitable aftermath of the night was hell.

By the time Maylene came to, Phoebe had found her and gotten her to a hospital - which was exactly what the fighter was afraid of. She woke up when the nurse was coming at her with a needle that the pink-haired girl knew full well was planning on being jammed into her wrist and locking her up in the place. She ripped her arm away like a kid, and didn't give it back.

They asked her how much she had had to drink. Apparently they had asked Phoebe, but since she had been MIA all night, she didn't know what to tell them. Maylene didn't really either. She said "probably five beers" and the doctor looked beyond confused. Who blacked out on five drinks?

That was when Maylene decided to mention her ulcerative colitis. She said she hadn't eaten a lot, and had been out all day, and that the passing out was probably just her body reacting to that, and _really_, she was _fine_, and could they _please_, just let her go because her head hurt and being in the hospital wasn't helping.

After some convincing and Phoebe promising to keep an eye on her, they realized they didn't really have any reason to keep her there, and she and Phoebe flew back to the League building in silence as the sun came up.

Maylene couldn't believe how badly her head hurt. She had never been hungover before, and she just wanted to climb into her bed and stay there for a year.

That, of course, wouldn't be an option, because surely she would have to wake up and face the elites eventually. All five of them. There was no way Wallace was going to play dumb - even if Phoebe hadn't told him what had happened, he was up at the crack of dawn every morning and had probably noticed that a certain pink-haired gym leader had never come home the night before. He would probably want to give her a lecture. Glacia would most likely have something to add, too, and Drake might even give her some choice words and a long-winded sailing story. There was a general consensus among the three of them that Maylene was to be looked out for. Like she was a toddler, or something.

And then there was Sidney. He would be the worst. Probably smug that she had run away and ended up burning out.

Maylene went to her room before Phoebe could say anything, and the elite didn't try to. She let her go.

* * *

><p>When Maylene finally surfaced long enough to be aware of Phoebe curled up asleep in the canary yellow armchair by the window, she checked the time. It was half past noon. The elites would be working. Phoebe must've drifted off and forgotten about work.<p>

Upon checking her Pokegear, she wasn't surprised to find she had four missed calls from Janine. She would have to put that fire out later.

The fighter crept out of the room, but was still foggy and made too much noise, waking Phoebe up. The tanned girl was up and on her feet in moments.

"You're up," she said.

"Unfortunately," Maylene replied, and continued out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Phoebe was hot on her heels.

"I'm hungry," she told her, then added, "You didn't have to sleep in my room."

The elite was shaking her head. "Yeah, I kind of did - would you stop walking away?"

"I'm just getting something to eat," Maylene said.

"No, you're trying to avoid talking to me about what happened last night." That got Maylene to at least turn and look at the older girl.

She shook her head."There's nothing to talk about."

"Are you kidding?" Phoebe cried. "One second I'm leaving you with Flannery, the next some guy is telling me you're passed out on the dancefloor! What the hell _was_ that, Maylene?"

"It was nothing!" Maylene insisted. "I just pushed myself too hard, that's all."

"Well, how many times are you going to push yourself too hard before you get yourself killed?" Phoebe shot back. "You have to tell us when you're feeling sick! You let me drag you to that party last night and you ended up in the hospital!"

"I didn't _need_ to be in the hospital," Maylene pointed out. "I just fainted."

Phoebe was beyond perplexed, and the way it contorted her face didn't suit her. "I don't know what to do, Maylene. I tried to let you do your thing, because you're a teenager and _arceus knows_ teenagers don't like anybody telling them what to do. But you're not taking care of yourself, and Cynthia trusted me to watch out for you, and I can't sit around and let you wear your body out."

Maylene huffed. "I just _messed up_, okay? I was upset about stupid things and I just wanted to have fun, alright? I never have fun. Ever! And I was tired of it." She looked down at her feet, feeling stubborn tears threaten to fall. "I'm just tired."

Phoebe was silent for a moment, before she said levelly, like she was bracing herself, "I called Cynthia."

Maylene's head whipped back up. "_You called Cynthia_?"

"I had to, Maylene!" Phoebe said. "This is a big deal!"

Maylene set her head in her hands, squeezing her temples to quell the oncoming headache. Her stomach was turning. She could feel her gym getting further and further away.

"I can't believe this," Maylene said, mostly to herself, because she really couldn't believe it - any of it. How had everything spiraled so far out of control in one night?

Someone cleared their throat. Maylene looked up to see Wallace standing with his hands on his hips before the couch, which the other three Elites were all seated on.

"What the _hell_?" Maylene cried, throwing her hands in the air. "Is this an intervention, or something? Don't you guys have _jobs_?"

Wallace looked frighteningly serious. "I closed the League from challengers after I woke up this morning and realized that the two of you never came home and then found Sidney asleep on the couch in the same clothes he had on yesterday."

Maylene glanced at Sidney, who was curled up on the sectional, indeed still in the slacks and button-down he had on the day before.

"I spoke to Cynthia, as well, and from what she had to say on the matter, I think we all need to have a little talk." His eyes trailed back and forth between Maylene and Sidney. "And from the way you two are refusing to look at each other, I don't think it's just about whatever happened last night."

Maylene couldn't stop shaking her head. "We don't need to have a talk about anything. I just got drunk. It was stupid. I'm not gonna do it again."

"I think you misunderstood me, Maylene," Wallace said. "I don't want to talk about the decisions you made last night, although those should probably be addressed at some point. I want to talk about you."

"About me?" It felt sour on Maylene's tongue.

"I think we've been a little unfair to you," Wallace said, sounding a little sheepish. "We welcomed you into our living space and made no effort to understand why you're here. Sidney." He caught the man's attention. "Do you even know why Maylene is staying here?"

Sidney just shrugged. "She got sick and couldn't handle her gym anymore, right?"

Maylene frowned. That was about a fourth of the actual situation.

Wallace turned to Phoebe. "What about you?"

"All Cynthia said was that she was trying to recuperate," Phoebe admitted. "I guess I never really asked what happened."

After that, it was pretty clear to Maylene why Sidney thought she had abandoned her gym. No one even knew what was going on with her - and how could they? She certainly hadn't told them. She had just assumed that Cynthia had informed them why she was there, but they had no idea.

Wallace fixed Maylene with a thoughtful look. "How about it, then? Do you want to explain?"

The truth was, Maylene _didn't_ want to explain. She wanted to go back to Sinnoh, back to her gym. She had given Hoenn every chance in the world, and she was out chances to give.

She sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

And so she recounted it all - every doctor's appointment and procedure and day spent in the hospital. The elites watched her intently, like they were trying so hard to understand something that they just couldn't.

"What is it like?" Phoebe asked, when she finished. "To be sick?"

Maylene rambled, "Well, there's pills and constant check-ins with my doctor and-"

"No, that's- That's not what I meant." Phoebe looked at her, face full of all the naive curiosity only healthy people seemed to have. "What does it feel like to be you?"

Maylene was stopped in her tracks. What _did_ it feel to be her? She had been listing off medicines and symptoms for people for months, but no one had ever asked her how she really felt. She could only grasp at a way to explain - to help the five people before her understand. How could she put it in a way that they could make sense of?

"It's like-" She stopped, tried again. "It's like a pokemon battle."

That got their attention more. Wallace had seated them all at the dining table with Maylene at the head. He leaned towards her over the table, interested. Phoebe tilted her head thoughtfully. Glacia and Drake had their eyes fixed on her face. Even Sidney had turned to look at her.

"When you're battling, you have to think about _everything_. You have to take everything in, account for anything that could happen. Your choices- you have to think about every one of them, because if you don't, you could end up in a bad situation." Maylene explained. "That's- that's my entire life now."

All five pairs of eyes were focused on her now, and it encouraged her to keep going.

"I have to think about everything," she said. "I have to make decisions I didn't have to make before, ones that don't even cross healthy people's minds. If healthy people have a full team of six pokemon, I only have three. And I have to decide what those three do carefully, because if I don't, I could lose them.

"I don't have all the energy someone my age should. If I use the energy I do have for the wrong thing, or if I use too much of it, I burn out. Lose the battle. Whatever way you want to think about it." She could only keep talking. "That's all last night was. Really. I just lost the battle this time."

When she looked at the elites, their faces had changed. They were looking at her just like everyone always did, and their eyes were _too_ sad, and it made her feel sick.

"How do you live like that?" Phoebe whispered, on the verge of tears.

"It's-" The words "really not that bad" were sitting on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them. They wouldn't be the truth. "It's hard."

"I had no idea, Maylene," Phoebe said. "I'm so sorry."

The woman stood up and walked around the table to wrap her arms around Maylene in a hug. Maylene didn't know how to react. But it was nice. Even with them all looking at her the way they were, she thought it was worth it if it meant they could understand a little better.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you want to go to this stupid wedding with me tonight?"<p>

Maylene raised an eyebrow at Sidney from across the den. The two were slouched on the couch half-watching Are You Smarter Than A Suicune? The den was normally empty, but since it was a day off for the elites and the mood around the flat had been decidedly more stiff since Maylene's passing out stunt two nights prior, the fighter had decided to turn on the flat screen to fill the place with mindless noise. Sidney had joined her, and the two had been guessing at the questions and simultaneously making cracks at the host, Eusine's, jokes all morning.

Maylene had decided that meant the two of them were fine now. As uncomfortable as explaining her illness to the elites the day before had been, she could tell it had changed the way Sidney thought of her. Neither of the two had apologized for any of the events in Slateport, but they were watching shitty game shows together like old friends, and it was good enough.

"Not as a date or anything," Sidney continued nonchalantly. "I checked plus-one on the card and the bride'll kick my ass if I waste the dinner."

"Really?" Maylene was surprised. "_You_ checked plus one?"

The man shrugged. "Sure."

"I would've pegged you for hitting on bridesmaids at the bar all night," Maylene admitted, grinning.

Sidney rolled his eyes. "Do you want to go, or not?"

"Whose wedding?" Maylene asked. A few people had mentioned this wedding to her recently - in fact, Phoebe was in her room getting ready as they spoke.

"Some friends - two gym leaders, you might know em', now that I think about it," Sidney said. "Sabrina and Surge, from Kanto. Y'know, she looks like she could kill you and he's this huge ass dude that's always telling everyone about how he served his country?"

Maylene didn't really know Sabrina and Surge - she definitely didn't know they were together, let alone _engaged_ - but she had been in the same room as them on numerous occasions, and they were both serious characters.

"_Those two_?" She was incredulous.

Sidney just shook his head. "None of us understand it. They've got history, apparently. Known each other a long time."

"Huh," was all Maylene said as she tried to picture the scarily quiet Sabrina and the obnoxiously loud Surge together.

* * *

><p>Maylene did end up agreeing to go, mostly because she knew Janine would be there, and that if the girl saw her out and about and completely fine, she might stop texting her every two hours to make sure she was okay.<p>

The fighter borrowed another dress from Phoebe, who was beyond excited to learn that Maylene would be joining them at the wedding. This one was an orange sundress that was way more Maylene's speed and Phoebe said it complimented her eyes.

Before they left, Phoebe and Sidney both grabbed the bags they used for work - that they kept pokeballs and the like in. When Maylene asked why they would need all of their pokemon at a wedding, they just grinned at each other.

The wedding was in Slateport, on a pier that jutted out onto the water. Phoebe, as it turned out, was Sabrina's maid of honor (which absolutely baffled Maylene), and she disappeared immediately to find the bride-to-be. That left Maylene and Sidney alone in the city again, just as they had been two days prior, fighting - and it was almost awkward until a trio of familiar faces came into view from the steps leading up from the beach. It was Diamond and Pearl, and in between them, a raven-haired girl who Maylene recognized as Platinum Berlitz.

"How about this?" Pearl called to Maylene and Sidney as they neared. "Fancy, seeing you here."

"Didn't know you knew the crazy couple," Sidney replied, grinning at them. He shook the men's hands, in a decidedly better mood than he was in the coffee shop. He looked to the girl next."Platinum. Beautiful, as always."

"Always a pleasure, Sidney." Platinum smiled, but she was focused on a certain fighting-type gym leader. "And Maylene, it's been entirely too long. I'm heading to check on Sabrina now. Why don't you join me?"

Platinum had changed remarkably. Maylene hadn't seen her since they were both just kids, and since then she had grown into a stunning young woman. Maylene thought she had a year or two on the girl, but looking at them side by side, you wouldn't know it. She credited that to her height - she probably hadn't grown an inch since they last saw each other, while Platinum was easily taller than Diamond now, and even neared Pearl with her heels on. Maylene felt terribly conscious of this as she followed the girl towards a white tent, presumably where the bride was getting ready. The fighter wasn't normally one for embarassment when it came to appearances, but then, the last time she saw Platinum, she wasn't sick. It was, unfortunately, another side effect of feeling terrible.

"I was so thrilled when Pearl told me he ran into you, Maylene," Platinum said. "I've always meant to get in touch with you and Candice, but I've had so much going on."

"I was surprised to see Diamond and Pearl in Hoenn," Maylene admitted. "I didn't realize you knew Sabrina and the lieutenant."

"Oh." Platinum smiled fondly. "Sabrina's an old friend."

It was funny, to hear that coming from someone so young. Platinum couldn't have known Sabrina for more than twenty years, as she herself wasn't even twenty. But the girl had a maturity that went with her, and it didn't seem weird coming from her lips. If Maylene had said it, people would have laughed.

"What have you been doing?" Platinum asked. "How's your gym?"

Maylene exhaled the word, "Good. What about you? Have you saved the world anymore since we last saw each other?"

Platinum laughed. "Nothing quite that exciting. I've been living in Unova, with Pearl. That's how I met Sabrina, actually. She did some work for one of our movies a few years ago."

"One of your movies?" Maylene repeated.

Platinum nodded. "That's what I'm doing, these days. Working on films. Lots of content to produce after you've been everywhere. Pearl's my partner - he writes, I direct."

"That's amazing," Maylene said, and she meant it.

"I enjoy it," Platinum agreed. "Unova's far, though. I miss Sinnoh a lot, and Diamond being here, I feel like I never see him anymore. And I know it's hard for Pearl, too. We used to be a package deal, you know?"

Maylene smiled. "That tends to happen when you save the world with someone."

That made Platinum grin, and she said, "I shouldn't complain, I guess. It's just the adult life, huh?"

Maylene nodded like she knew what she meant, but she didn't know if she did. She didn't feel like an adult. She still felt like a kid.

Platinum drew the tent open and held it for Maylene. Inside, Phoebe was perched on a makeup vanity, and seated in front of it was Sabrina, looking like something out of a magazine. Sabrina was a real celebrity - not just a gym leader, but also an award-winning actress. She wasn't very personable (even in interviews, she was always reserved and maybe even a little disinterested), but she was talented. And she earned her gym position, too. A lot of people didn't like her, but none of them could say she wasn't deserving.

"People are getting a little antsy," Platinum informed the dark-haired woman. "Your brother is about ready to come in here."

Sabrina rolled pretty eyes. "He can wait."

Phoebe hopped off the vanity and over to Maylene. "This is our latest addition, Sabby. You've met Maylene, right?"

The woman considered Maylene. "Are you one of Sidney's prospects?"

"_Sabrina_," Phoebe hissed, her face burning.

"I was just asking." Sabrina inspected her nails.

Phoebe looked beyond flustered, and she was ready to launch into an apology for her friend's discourse, but Maylene shrugged. "I'm here as his plus-one, if that's what you mean. But to be honest, I haven't really figured out if he's really a douchebag, or if he just plays one on TV."

At that, Sabrina's lips turned up the slightest bit, and Maylene felt a strange sense of approval from it. "Well, thank you for coming. You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit of a bitch."

Maylene's eyebrows shot up, and she stammered, "No, I didn't- I didn't think-!"

Sabrina laughed lightly. "Calm down, kid. Just having fun with you."

The tent was drawn again and Janine poked her head in. "Almost ready?"

"Are you _kidding_?" Phoebe spoke for her friend. "Look at her! Surge isn't going to be able to keep his jaw off the ground!"

Janine laughed, stepping further into the tent. "You really do look great, Aunt Sabrina."

And she did look great. Her dress looked like it had been tailored especially for her - maybe even _designed_ especially for her. It was satin, and while Maylene couldn't remember Sabrina ever wearing anything even remotely white, she looked stunning.

"Let's get me married, then," Sabrina said, and stood up.

Platinum squeezed her hand. "Nervous?"

Sabrina just laughed. "_Please_."

Maylene had wondered what the psychic-type user meant by that, but all wonder went away when she was standing next to Sidney on the pier, watching the woman walk down the aisle. Her eyes never left the lieutenant's, who was looking back at her like she hung the moon and the stars.

As they exchanged vows, smiling at each other the entire time - Sabrina _really_ smiling, in a way Maylene had never seen - Maylene leaned over to Sidney and whispered, "They don't seem nervous at all."

Sidney chuckled. "That's because they've always been ready. The timing was just never right."

The ceremony was officiated by Koga, of _all_ people, and even he was smiling at the couple. When they kissed, the entirety of the guests cheered. It felt comfortable, and Maylene thought that everyone in attendance was probably someone important to them. Sabrina probably knew every famous person in the world and could have thrown a huge, glamorous party, but instead she had just invited her friends to the beach. It almost made Maylene feel guilty for agreeing to go.

* * *

><p>"I'm so sorry I didn't come check on you, Maylene. By the time Falkner and I heard something happened you were already gone."<p>

Maylene let out a huge breath, looking up at Janine, who had hunted her down in the dining tent as soon as the reception had begun.

"Janine, seriously, calm down," she said. "I'm fine."

Janine wasn't convinced. "I just feel so terrible. I feel like I've been putting my friends on the back burner."

That made Maylene laugh, because the girl could not be more wrong. "You're crazy, you know?"

Janine collapsed into the empty chair next to Maylene. "I know. I'm a little all over the place lately. There was so much to do with the wedding, and the gym, and not to mention, _Falkner and my Dad_. Maylene, I don't think my Dad is ever going to like him."

"Just give him time," Maylene said. "He'll come around. You're his only kid, he's bound to be protective."

"He's more than protective." Janine sighed. "I don't think he even wanted to let Aunt Sabrina go today, and he and Uncle Surge are like brothers."

"I didn't realize you were related," Maylene said curiously.

"We're not." Janine smiled. "Not really, anyway. They've always been around, though, so they're basically family."

"Sidney said they've always been ready to get married, but the timing was never right," Maylene mentioned.

"Sidney should mind his own damn business."

Both girls turned to find Surge standing behind them, grinning broadly.

"That kid's a real handful, I'll tell ya'," the lieutenant continued. "He's not wrong, though."

"Uncle Surge, this is a friend of mine, Maylene," Janine said.

"It's nice to meet you," Maylene told the giant man. "And congratulations. I almost feel like an intruder, everyone here is so close."

Surge waved her off. "The more the merrier!"

"I was just about to tell Maylene about you, and Dad and Aunt Sabrina," Janine said as Surge took a seat next to her. "But you tell it better than I do."

"It's a good one." Surge leaned foward in his chair. "So kid, you ever heard of Team Rocket?"

Maylene looked at him skeptically. "Of course, who hasn't?"

He chuckled. "Well, what would you say if I told you I used to be one of the head honchos around there?"

"You were _not_," Maylene said.

He nodded vigorously, in a way that said, "no, _really_!" "And Koga and Sabrina were right there with me."

Maylene looked back and forth between the lieutenant and Janine, trying to figure out if this was a joke that everyone was in on. "Are you kidding? You're kidding, right?"

"I wish." Surge shook his head. "It was a wild time, though, and man did the League get on our asses about it when we finally wised up and realized we were in over our heads."

"So what you're saying is," Maylene pondered. "You're a criminal."

"Criminal turned good guy," he corrected. "And I can't say I'm sorry about it. If I hadn't made that stupid decision, I never would've ended up getting married today."

"You two look really happy together," Maylene told him, and she meant it. "I would've expected a couple who was about to get married to have some nerves, but you two just seemed happy."

Surge had found Sabrina's eyes across the room, and he started up to walk towards her. Before he did, he addressed Maylene with a smile. "That's because it's different with us. I didn't marry some girl. I married my best friend."

Maylene watched with Janine as Surge strolled over to his wife and started into a dance. "Wow," Maylene said.

"Yeah." Janine smiled. "They're the last two people you would ever expect to be so right for each other, huh? I guess that's just the way love is." Ater a quiet, she jumped up."Let's go dance! I am seriously in the need of a good shake."

Maylene grinned. "I'm game. Just let me go put my shoes somewhere. If I try to dance in these heels, I'm going to fall into the cake."

After slipping her heels off, Maylene stepped out of the tent and towards the edge of the pier, where she intended to stow the shoes by the gift table. But when she neared the end of the thing, she realized there was someone all too familiar standing there already.

As per usual, the fighter made some stupid noise that caught the person's attention, and it was too late to make a run for it.

His eyes found her's, and widened. "Maylene?"

She gulped. "Hi, Volkner."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**

_I know. I _know_. You don't even have to tell me that I'm the only one on the planet that ships Lt. Surge and Sabrina and that they would probably never happen._

_(And, well, I could write a dissertation on why they _could_ happen. I won't. But I totally could.)_

_If you don't understand their history, you probably haven't read the manga - which I'll just encourage you to do! _

_Thank you for reading, as always!_


	6. Not Chapter Six

**_Author's Note: _**_Hi, all. _

_This, obviously, isn't a real chapter. And I'm sorry about that. It's my own fault, but I am sorry. I know I said I would update in two weeks, and it has been nearly a month, and I suck. I'm two hundred words into the next chapter, and I haven't even looked at it in two weeks. _

_For a while it was going back to school, and then it was an unfortunately timed flare up, and now it's just me needing a break. _

_So I'm going to put _Making It Better_ on hiatus. I'm going to let the ideas stew in my head, and when I come back, I'll have improved this story. Do you know I kind of hate the way I write Maylene? And I don't want to hate her. I really don't want the people who read this to hate her, either. This break will give me a chance to fix her. _

_This isn't the end! This will be a good thing. You'll see~_

_Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry for kind of sucking._

_anewspringwillcome_


End file.
